


Gardenia

by Kangoo



Series: April Bouquet [13]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: M/M, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:15:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23641450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kangoo/pseuds/Kangoo
Summary: Riku disappears, sometimes
Relationships: Riku/Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: April Bouquet [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1685779
Comments: 17
Kudos: 28





	Gardenia

**Author's Note:**

> i'm in rarepair hell
> 
> theme: secret love

Riku doesn’t see it coming. One second he’s walking through Radiant Garden after talking with Leon, the next everything goes dark as he’s swallowed by a corridor of Darkness.

He tumbles out the other side and only avoids face planting thanks to the hand that grabs him by the back of his shirt. Vanitas looks unbearably smug as he hauls him to his feet. Asshole’s short but he more than makes up for it in muscles, and he never fails to take advantage of that. Riku scowls because it’s more appropriate to the situation than saying thank you and easier than fighting with Vanitas again about the _warning-before-teleportation_ rule they had supposedly put in place.

He’s used to Vanitas grabbing him out of the blue and spiriting him away to Light-knows-where, but it doesn’t make the experience any more pleasant every time it happens. By the smirk on his face, Vanitas knows this, and enjoys it. Riku hesitates to punch him but in the end he only bends to his level and presses a quick kiss to the edge of his mocking smile, grinning in turn when it’s _Vanitas_ who scowls. He hates being reminded of his height, but Riku can’t exactly help it.

“Hi,” he says, and is briefly annoyed with himself that he sounds ridiculously happy rather than frustrated, as he meant to. Another thing he can’t help: being happy whenever he sees Vanitas. That’s one sentence probably no one’s ever thought before.

(It’s kind of tragic. In his darkest hours Riku had Sora and Kairi, happy to see him even after all he made them go through. Vanitas has never had anyone. Except Riku, he guesses, and feels a little weird about it.)

He still feels a healthy amount of annoyance at being abducted, which he communicates by elbowing Vanitas in the side. He side-steps it instinctively, jumping out of the way as if it had been a serious attack, and looks frustrated with himself when he realizes it. Riku takes advantage of the brief distraction to ruffle his hair. Vanitas bears it with a look that promises swift and brutal retaliation if Riku doesn’t knock it off.

“I was _busy_.”

“That’s boring,” Vanitas replies, batting his hand away but staying in Riku’s personal space. “Hang out with me instead.”

He’s not wrong — talking reconstruction effort is important but it’s not _fun_ and Riku is glad for the distraction. A little bit. Even though people will probably worry when they don’t see him come back. They should be used to it. He’s been disappearing more often as of lately, but whenever they question him about it he gives a vague answer because… what is he supposed to say? _Sorry I sneaked out to go see my secret boyfriend who also happens to be a little bit evil?_ Yeah, like that would go well with the other Keyblade Masters.

They’re not too worried about being caught — Vanitas has gone so far past subtlety by kidnapping Riku when he’s feeling lonely that he went full circle and came back to stealth again. They can’t follow Riku wherever he goes, so… it’s fine. There will be questions the day they see him disappear in a corridor of Darkness, but it’s _fine_.

Anyway. He could use the break.

Still he sighs, just so Vanitas knows he’s not like, _overjoyed_ by the abduction. He can’t fault the guy for having no concept of personal boundaries. Being raised by Xehanort will do that to a man. But he can’t not make a small attempt towards nudging him in the right direction.

He has high hopes that one day he’ll be able to actually present Vanitas to his family without cringing through the whole encounter and maybe starting every other sentence with _forgive him he’s not used to positive feedback_.

“Okay,” he says. “What do you want to do?”

Vanitas looks at him through his lashes and bare his teeth in something vaguely joy-like.

That expression? Yeah. It means trouble.

(He kind of loves it.)

“Baby Xehanort is on a mission ‘round here. How much trouble do you think we can cause without him seeing us?”

Riku smiles in return. Vanitas’ joy is a rare and contagious thing. “Knowing you? A _lot_. Let’s go.”

**Author's Note:**

> come haunt me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/2Fast2Kangoo) or [tumblr](https://youngster-monster.tumblr.com/)


End file.
